January 25, 2009 - It's a classic case of good news bad news. The good news is that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has been closing and may close to pre-1980 levels by 2060. This is one of the great environmental victories scored by the people of earth in the past generation. The bad news is that this success may contribute to global warming. High speed winds created by the hole in the ozone layer help form clouds that reflect the sun and protect the ice against a warming climate. The winds sweep salt spray from the sea into the atmosphere, the salt retains moisture and clouds are formed. As the hole closes the winds may diminish and, possibly, the cloud cover too. Less cloud cover means more sunshine and more melting ice. Maybe. There's always a maybe when it comes to this subject. In this case global warming itself may cause stronger winds that will continue to push salt spray into the atmosphere and keep the cloud cover intact.
The ozone hole was largely caused by the human use of chlorofluorocarbons, chemical compounds found in refrigerants and aerosol cans that dissipate ozone. Under an international protocol adopted in 1987, many countries phased out the compounds, helping the ozone to start reconstituting itself over the Antarctic.
Here's the full story from Sindya N. Bhanoo at NYTimes.
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